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Peace And Nonviolent Beliefs Of Mahatma Gandhi

Decent Essays

Peace and Nonviolent Beliefs of Mahatma Gandhi
Nikki Henkell
WOH1030 - Summer 2014-B
Prof. Forsythe

Mahatma Gandhi, compared to a saint and even an Indian Christ (Blanchot, M. 2012), believed in nonviolence and the practice of Ahimsa, which means love (Gandhi). Ahimsa believes in doing no harm to any living creature, either to the physical body and to the mind. “Ahimsa requires deliberate self-suffering, not a deliberate injuring of the supposed wrong-doer.” (Gandhi). In 1999 Time Magazine conducted a survey about who their readers considered “the Man of the Twentieth Century,” and although Gandhi came in a close second behind Albert Einstein he was still one of the greatest men of the twentieth century. Gandhi’s teachings changed the way people around the world though, it opened them up to a moral-political world. His ability to overcome the British and win independence for India, all with nonviolent resistance, continue to be an inspiration to people around the world even years after his death (Prabhu, J. 2001). Mahatma Gandhi inspired many people and leaders throughout the world. Great leaders, including the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr., have all spoken about how Gandhi influenced them and their fight for peace and equality. The Dalai Lama won a Nobel Peace Prize for his Middle Way Approach when seeking a way for Tibet to have more independence from China. When he accepted his award in 1989, part of his speech was “I accept

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